Wireless Headphone Feeds (Comtek)

What do you do when the director or producer come to you and say, "I need 4 headphones..."?

Here's a brief overview of setting up wireless headphone feeds for producers, directors, and others on set. You can do this a variety of ways, even using a spare wireless lav system (but that only gets you one set of headphones). On the pro sets, they often use Comtek or similar wireless systems which are nice in that you can send the same feed to as many sets of receivers as you need from a single transmitter in your sound bag.

Links to gear discussed in this session:

Comtek M-216 Transmitter (Option P7) - expensive but sturdy and up for several years of service on rough and tumble sets and locations.

Comtek PR-216 Receiver - This is the thankfully less expensive receiver. You can use as many of these as you need with a single transmitter. Also well built for years of service

Comtek XLR to 3.5mm adapter cable - If your mixer/recorder has an XLR  output that you'll use to feed audio to the Comtek transmitter, here's an adapter cable to make that work. If your mixer/recorder has a 3.5mm output, any 3.5mm TRS to 3.5mm TRS cable will do. Just keep it short so it doesn't pick up interference.

Sony ZX110 Headphones - Good enough to get the job done with comfort, plenty loud. They fold and have flat cables which help prevent tangles. Not too hard on your pocketbook if they get destroyed by a crew member (about $15 USD each).

Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd